March 5, 2012

Prelude:
The fledgling Texans signed Haynes for the new AFL, winning a bidding war against the NFL Steelers, who drafted him in the fifth round of that league’s draft, and Winnipeg of the CFL. An unheralded small college star, he was an evasive all-purpose runner and quickly became the AFL’s first home-grown star.

1960 Season Summary
Appeared in all 14 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Texans went 8-6 to finish second in the AFL Western Division while placing second in the league in rushing yards (2007).

Aftermath:
Haynes followed up his outstanding rookie year with 1899 all-purpose yards in 1961, including 841 rushing for a league-leading 9 TDs and 4.7 yards per carry, and 34 pass receptions for 558 more. He was selected to the first AFL All-Star Game. In ’62 he ran for 1049 yards and again had the most rushing TDs with 13, as well as the most TDs overall with 19, and also topped the AFL with 1622 yards from scrimmage as the Texans won the AFL title. Haynes was a consensus first-team All-AFL selection and was again chosen for the league’s All-Star contest. The franchise became the Kansas City Chiefs in 1963, but had a losing record and Haynes suffered a significant drop in production. The death of rookie HB Stone Johnson, who suffered a broken neck during the last preseason game, had a profound effect on Haynes and his style of play lacked the previous excitement. After improving in 1964, gaining a last All-Star selection after running for 697 yards and gaining another 562 on 38 catches, he was traded to the Denver Broncos. Haynes led the AFL in kickoff returns in ’65 (26.5 avg.), but his offensive production dropped again and, prone to carrying the ball away from his body, he led the league in fumbles in 1966 (11). His last season, 1967, was split between the second-year Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets, and while he showed flashes of the old form, the writing was on the wall and he retired. Haynes ended up gaining 12,065 total yards in the AFL (4630 rushing, 3535 receiving, 3025 returning kickoffs, 875 returning punts) and scored a total of 69 touchdowns.

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MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).